Hao: The Last Masterpiece
by jack-adam
Summary: After five years, Hao has returned; and bringing with him is the legacy to his final plan. The final clash between Yoh and his brilliant, psychotic genius brother has finally come. written by jack-adam apprentice; co-written and beta's by jack-adam


My first story on this website

My first story on this website. I was told about it by a good friend of mine; whom I believe was quite a popular writer here, 'jack-adam' who wrote stories such as Ice-Cream Boy and A Girl Called Anna 1&2. I dedicate this story to him, and his happy retirement from this website. I wrote this story and he has helped me beta-read it along the way. I hope you enjoy this as much as we spent writing it.

CHAPTER 1

_Hope to be you soon_

_Love, Hao_

Simple sentence; alarming possibilities.

The message was sealed in a thin white envelope with one of those cheeky smiley faces adorned on the front of it. It looked like a cryptic birthday cards; an invitation to McDonalds or a fast food restaurant of some sort with those corny birthday songs, little plastic hats and balloon animals. Yoh picked up the envelope with doubting fingers, his fingers feeling the edges gently.

"Last I heard, Hao was somewhere across the other end of the Earth." came a shrewd cold voice behind him. He turned to find Anna standing behind him with her arms folded across her chest, her lips pursed.

Yoh gave her a small withering smile. "Last I remember, he was found dead by three hungry bears. It came out in the papers."

"Never believe what comes out in the papers." Anna said, taking quick strides forward to snatch the letter out of his hands. "I believe I told you that before." She looked at the letter with raised eyebrows. "Hope to be you soon?" she said aloud.

"I didn't get that part either." Yoh said, running his fingers through his hair confusingly. "Do you think that it's just a spelling mistake?"

Anna turned to him; her eyes cold as marbles. There was an age in her features already; whatever happiness there was on her expressions in the past faded and tore with each written word on the letter like bullet marks through her chest.

"Hao doesn't make mistakes." She whispered.

A cold wind rushed past the house; leaves rustled in the distance as a deep rumble resounded across the pale blue skies so distant yet so predominant. She turned around to face her husband, the lips of a woman so strong trembling slightly.

"Be careful, Yoh."

He hesitated before nodding his head quietly. "I know that." He whispered. He fingered the letter carefully in his touch before flipping it over; there was writing on the other side. Anna inhaled before letting out a shuddering breath.

"He's coming." She hissed. "I can just feel it."

Yoh looked above at the storm clouds swirling overhead.

"You're not the only one." He whispered.

_Watch out for my masterpiece._

_- Sincerely you, Hao_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

There was a cold burst of rain when Hao reached the rooftops of the skyscraper. He shut his eyes; a thinly wan smile lighting up on his face as he stretched his arms by his sides as though about to take flight. His smile flickered with distant sounds of footsteps appearing behind him. He turned around, drawing his long jet black hair away from his face to meet with the eyes of his visitor.

She was of cold pale beauty; just the breathless splendor that he had searched for years in a woman. She was not of Anna's beauty by any standards, but was not any less mysterious that her. Her eyes remained half-hearted and soulless. And he liked that about her. She cocked her head to a side.

"You didn't tell me that you were back."

He chuckled, taking one slow languid step toward her. "But you found me nevertheless." His voice was like a drone, tired and bored but not inattentive by any means. And he read her, read through her and saw her soul through her eyes.

Her lip trembled and he cupped her cheek, his eyes burning with the fiery passion of a mutated genius in the disguise of a wreck; the winner out of the city of ashes. "I didn't need to tell you that I returned." He said with a smirk, leaning toward her so their lips touched lightly, brushing against hers lightly. "Because I never left in the first place."

A lone tear fell from her face and she choked a sob.

"I missed you." She cried.

"I know." He said. "I'd miss me too."

He turned away from her, stepping onto the ledge of the roof. His expressions were calm and monotonous but the flame erupted in his eyes was dancing constantly. She sighed and clutched her shuddering chest tightly.

"Why did you come back?" she asked.

He turned around so he was facing her; his hands outstretched like an eagle ready to take flight. "Isn't it simple?" he said in a whisper, lifting himself on the balls of his feet to glide slowly backward into nothingness. With a crack of lightning, he was gone…all that remained was a girl clutching tightly to whatever past she could try to hold on to.

His voice choked with hidden laughter and subtle arrogance still remained in the pouring rain.

"To return what I stole."

000000000000000000000000000000000

Despite being a teacher for the past five years, Horo was still having troubles adjusting to this new life of tight collars and expensive ties. The world was totally contrary to the life he used to dream of; a plentiful grassland where he could farm to his heart's content. Where was he now?

"Has anybody been stupid enough to not do the homework I labeled as mandatory?" he asked his class sharply.

…he was here. The crisis he dug his own hole to and jumped head-first into.

"…is anybody stupid enough to not know what mandatory is?"

…the sarcastic, arrogant new brand of an English school teacher.

While it had its perks and fun moments, he had to say that this truly wasn't the life he was looking for when he abandoned Pirkia in their quest to travel across the world and find a new life together with the rest of their family. He sighed under his breath as one shuddering hand rose up from the sea of relief.

"Tori." He muttered. "I should have known. And you should have known that I should have known as well, so why bothering acting like you don't know?" Tori opened his mouth to speak. "You're staying back after school, buster."

"But sir…" he moaned.

"But sir you would rather me march down to your house and have a nice dinner with your family?" Horo said with raised eyebrows. "You would rather I had a nice lively chat with your dad and your new stepmom over the rules of this school and give them a full lecture on how to give their son a healthy upbringing?"

Tori clammed his mouth shut.

Horo grinned. "I'll see you at four. Bring a pencil, a sharpener and diligence."

Just then the door of the classroom knocked and Tamao stood there with a nervous grin on her face. "Could I borrow you for a second?" she asked.

"You can throw me down on a checkout counter and buy me if you want." Horo said with a cheeky grin, walking over to her. "What's the matter?"

Tamao handed him a phone. "It's been ringing for the past hour, I had to get a gym teacher to kick your locker down just to answer it. It's been driving me insane."

"What drives me insane is that top you're wearing," he said. "Since when did you like buying stuff from D&G?"

"Since I became Principal of this school." She winked. "Just call the person back will you? That way we'll all get some peace and quiet."

He nodded and took it from her. "Gotcha."

She smirked. "You wish."

He watched her walk away for a moment before reaching for his phone and searching the missed calls. "Fourteen from a private number." He muttered to himself. "Now who the Hell could that be?"

Just then the phone rang again and he jumped.

"Wow, not that this didn't happen in thriller movies at the most intense moments with the creepy music playing in the background all the TIME, but I really wish I got this moment on tape." He muttered to himself before raising the phone to his ear. "Hello, my stalker." He said cheerily. "Fifteenth time lucky, right?"

There was no reply on the other line for a moment before there was a small, silent chuckle. Horo froze. Something was familiar about that sound. The noise of a triumphant kid trapped in an adult's body. The air of the classroom suddenly seemed cold and dark and he turned to his students. They were watching him expectantly. He returned to the phone with a shuddering breath.

"Hao?" he asked, a question he did not work answered.

The laughter on the other end rose with a dull clapping of hands. "I'm touched you still remember me, my dear friend."

The smile had faded completely from Horo's face now and all that remained now was a tortured memory. He pulled the phone away from his ear. "All of you guys, read the fifth chapter of 'Heart of Darkness'. I want you to tell me what Marlow does in that chapter and his actions and reactions to consequences. I'll be back in a few minutes." He returned to the phone and heart the hollow laughter of Hao once more.

"Five years later and you're still teaching the future teachers, policemen and criminals how to read that crummy book written centuries ago." Hao said in amusement. "I would've thought you would moved onto a new book by now."

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Horo said tensely. "Still interested in what you failed to succeed in four years ago?"

"Well, I'm interested in catching up with old friends, let's just say that."

Horo's face mutilated into something ugly. "You stay away from Yoh and Anna, you son of a bitch. After what you did to them the last time, I'll-"

Hao's voice suddenly fell by a tenfold, but Horo heard him clearer than he ever did.

"You'll…what?"

The tension rose and fell.

A chuckle.

"I'll talk to you soon, my friend."

One phone snaps shut, one smirk, one opening to a whole new universe. Cellular lines are cut, vocals are projected and two men are standing across from each other at figurative gunpoint.

Hao stood on the front porch of Yoh's apartment, rain soaking him through his shoes, a maniacal smile on his face. Just across him stood his brother and his fiancée, grim looks on their faces. Hao raised one hand to point it at his brother, a slow sly wink slowly forming on his face with a twitch of his eye.

"Long time no see." He said.

Anna crossed her arms across her chest, biting her lip.

Yoh kept his ground, his hands in his pockets whimsically.

"Long time no see, Hao." He whispered.

END CHAPTER 1

Well jack-adam asked me which Hao I wished to imitate from him…the A Girl Called Anna Hao, or the Ice-Cream Boy Hao. So after much consideration, I decided to choose Ice-Cream Boy Hao, simply because he is so much more bad ass. Here's chapter 1 ladies and gentlemen! Please give me your feedback to will me to continue writing! Let the game of manipulation and deception begin!!

This is the jack-adam apprentice, his friend, and I wish to continue writing here with his account; with the allowance of both you readers and him 


End file.
